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Monthly Archives: March 2010
Nokia acquires Novarra
Nokia has aquired Novarra which is an interesting move considering the improvements being seen on other platforms in mobile browsing. Nokia is already doing well in this area, but any improvement is good news for Symbian owners.
“Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced it has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Novarra, Inc., a privately-held company based in Chicago, IL. Novarra is a provider of a mobile browser and service platform and has more than 100 employees. Novarra’s mobile browser and services platform will be used by Nokia to deliver enhanced Internet experiences on Nokia mobile devices. Novarra has deployed their solution with leading mobile operator and internet services customers globally.
“Connecting the next billion consumers to the Internet will happen primarily on mobile devices,” said Niklas Savander, Executive Vice President, Services, Nokia, “and delivering an optimized internet experience on our devices is core to our mission. By driving innovation in all segments of our portfolio, we are building one of the largest consumer audiences for web services and content. Novarra’s Internet services technology delivered on the world’s most widely-used mobile platform, Nokia’s Series 40, will help us achieve this.”
Nokia expects a new service offering utilizing the Novarra technology platform to be available later this year. The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2010, and is subject to the customary closing conditions, including regulatory reviews. Following the acquisition, Novarra will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nokia.”
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Family gaming
Playing games with family members and friends is not new and we can now play many over the air which adds a great deal to the excitement, and of course competitive spirit. Smart Box Design is looking deeper into this idea and creating a family feature for WordPop! for iPad which will make the competitive aspect of the game even stronger. Interestingly, the competitive nature could be replaced by working together which is one goal of the iPad. It is supposed to be about sharing and the nature of WordPop! is ideal for bringing people together for a relaxing hour or two. Clever stuff and I can’t wait to try it out.
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QOTD: The next big thing?
What do you expect to be the next big feature in the smartphone world? With so many already catered for it is difficult to choose, but video calling seems to be obvious to me if the rumours surrounding the next iPhone are to be believed.
The smartPDA: 3 calls a day
I undertook a small straw poll at work last week which included 10 iPhone users. The question was “How many calls do you make and receive each day on average?” We had a look through their call logs and the results were surprising-
10 iPhones: 36 calls in one day (20 outgoing, 16 incoming). Total duration- approx. 48 minutes.
So, we have an average of 3 calls per day over 10 iPhones, but consider than one person made and received 15 calls on their own. Some people had no call activity at all and one stated that they had not made or received a call on their phone in the past month!
Ignore the fact I did a test on the iPhone- that was just the most common phone, but the interesting part is that they all use mobile data extensively. They browse the web, download apps, socially network and stream videos via YouTube so there is little doubt that the concept of mobile data has hit the buying public hard.
These smartphones are now being used as connected PDAs with little need for the SIM card apart from texting and 3G access- the voice side has become far less important to the users I know. Email, IM and social networks are prohibitive to mobile voice calling and offer new and potentially quicker ways to interact with a close circle of friends. They also offer a method which is less obvious and this could be useful to some in the workplace.
Consider that smartphones have been getting bigger as well- the iPhone started the trend which has been taken to the limit by the HTC HD2 and Toshiba TG01. It is far more important for most people to have a big screen than a smaller form factor because a large screen lends itself to ‘PDA’ use and media. Palm tried to connect the PDA to the internet years back and failed, but over time standalone PDAs grew Wi-Fi and GPS and quickly became connected.
It is ironic that the popular consumer smartphones of today resemble PDAs of yesterday much more than their predecessors. It also explains why voice is right at the bottom of the development process for some manufacturers.
Serving Sizer Pro for iPhone Review
There are lots of cooking related iPhone apps on the market today and this can make choosing the right one difficult whether you are a serious cook or someone who needs to cook for lots of people on many occasions. You need an app that is reliable, accurate and most importantly easy to use and to read when you are surrounded by food, kitchen equipment and the like. Most cooking apps contain a selection of recipes and little, but some do come with location based information such as where you can buy the ingredients. However, very few include the ability to calculate ingredients volumes depending on how many people you are cooking for.
Serving Sizer Pro is designed as a portal where you can store as many recipes as you require and it comes with a small selection to get you started. When you look deeper into the example recipes you can see the exact measurements for each ingredient plus a handy guide which enables you to make the food in question. Crucially you can simply change the serving number at the top of each recipe to have all of the ingredients updated as well- this makes the whole process of catering for different events much easier and alone is a feature that will make the app worthwhile for some.
Creating a new recipe is quite straightforward and is started off by creating a name and then manually adding each ingredient and the measurements you want to use- this process is fast because you simply pick the ingredient, pick the amount, pick the unit and you are done. . There is a large database of ingredients already included and you can add new ones as required which will gradually build up into a list of everything you need in the future. US and metric servings and available at the tap of a button which is handy if you are working from recipes that are specific to a particular location. The option to set a default could be advantageous in a future version, but the flexibility of having both should not be ignored.
The potential of Serving Sizer Pro could be seen as specific, but it can also be used for a multitude of purposes and it is without doubt an app that could become a staple part of your food making regime. For someone like me who can just about manage scrambled eggs this is not an app that I can get excited about, but I can immediately see the advantages that it will bring to anyone who cooks a lot. The interface is elegant and easy to read which is very important when its potential use is considered and the red theme stands out well and matches food labels which is a nice touch.
One feature that would be nice to see in the future is the ability to import recipes to the iPhone, but I can’t personally see how this would be achieved. However, it could turn Serving Sizer Pro into an app with multiple features and one which people could use to store all of their recipes that they need for the future. As it stands it is a well thought out application that has a large market ahead of it- if people can see how good it is, I see no reason why they will not take advantage of its carefully thought out feature set.
More details are available here.
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Deal of the Day: RepliGo Reader for BlackBerry
RepliGo Reader for BlackBerry is down to only $7.48 in today’s deal of the day and is by far the best PDF solution on the platform. “How many PDF files do you read every day? Chances are quite a few. RepliGo Reader works with your BlackBerry email and media card to bring these documents to life. Similar to Adobe® Reader® for your desktop, RepliGo Reader opens and displays PDF files natively. There is no need for a costly subscription, conversion service or even wireless coverage once files are stored on your device.
Why choose RepliGo Reader? As the first native PDF reader for BlackBerry, RepliGo Reader has the most complete support for the official PDF specification. Documents render with the utmost fidelity, accurately preserving fonts, images and other page elements. Additionally, RepliGo Reader comes packed with great features like page caching, file management and a fast reading view, just to name a few.”
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Peter Chou “thrilled” by Windows Phone 7, Nexus One a success
Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, is said to be thrilled by the work Microsoft is doing on Windows Phone 7. Then again, he has to say that I suppose. He also proclaimed the Nexus One to be a success in the same interview. Then again….
From Forbes- “The launch of Google’s Nexus One smart phone appears to have been a mess of customer service mishaps, delayed international launches and lower-than-expected sales figures. Nevertheless, HTC Chief Executive Peter Chou, whose company designed the Nexus One, considers the device a success.
In an interview Wednesday at the CTIA Wireless conference in Las Vegas, Chou said the Nexus One’s innovative design would help HTC attract new business, regardless of its consumer reception. The phone, which Google ( GOOG – news – people ) is selling direct to consumers through an online store, was the first device to feature Google turn-by-turn driving directions and carry the latest version (2.1) of Google’s Android operating system, among other features…”
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Peak Flow Calculator for BlackBerry
My son has bad asthma and one way to track his condition is a daily peak flow. Peak Flow Calculator for BlackBerry makes the process of tracking breathing results much easier and ensures that the crucial factor of determining a normal peak flow for an individual is covered. It is currently discounted to only $1.99.
- With this application, monitor your peak flow at home very easily.
- Compare the estimated peak flow & your peak flow.
- Different zones like red, green, yellow.
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How It Works Magazine for the iPhone: first issue free!
How It Works magazine is now available for the iPhone and for a limited time the first issue is free. It is one of those magazine that throws out so much information and has to be worth a look for free.
Welcome to How It Works, the magazine that explains everything you never knew you wanted to know about the world we live in. Loaded with fully illustrated guides and expert knowledge, and with sections dedicated to science, technology, transportation, space, history and the environment, no subject is too big or small for How It Works to explain.
You will be notified of any new issues, which can be purchased from within the App, as well as your favorite back issues. With interactive page flipping where pages follow your fingers and a zoom feature, which overcomes the inherent problem of reading magazines on mobile devices. A unique fun sharing feature allows you to share magazines with your friends just like you would in the real world! You will have access to bookmarks, a contents page, and a great search tool, which allows you to not only search the magazine you are reading but all of your back issues too. A Pixelmag can be read anywhere regardless of a data connection, essential for reading on the move on planes, trains etc…
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WIN! A BlackBerry Bold 9700 plus goodie bag of BlackBerry products
Clove is giving away a BlackBerry Bold 9700 plus a goodie bag of BlackBerry accessories. OK, not quite giving it away, but you don’t have to do much to be in with a chance of winning the big prize.
BlackBerry smartphones have been the device of choice for business users for some time now. Their versatility, reliability and multitude of functions have ensured that, despite the increasing number of smartphones in the market, the BlackBerry Bold remains the leading smartphone for business.
From MPs Tweeting from the House of Commons to the BBC newsreader beating a technology breakdown by reading the headlines from her iPhone, there are many stories of interesting and innovative business uses of smartphones. Now Clove Technology is compiling a top 10 list of innovative business uses of a smartphone. Tell us your example of smartphone innovation in the business environment to be in with the chance of winning a new BlackBerry Bold 9700 and goodie bag of BlackBerry accessories.
Deadline for entries 30 April 2010 11:59 PM (UK time).
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Nokia 5230, 6 months internet, 8GB card and Ovi Maps for £79.99
T-Mobile is selling the Nokia 5230 for only £79.99 ‘today’ and this price includes 6 months internet, an 8GB card and Ovi Maps which is pretty good if you ask me. Jane sent in the details after buying one today and is already impressed by the package- expect a review from her next week.
“The Nokia 5230 gives you easy access to social networking and email with fast 3G internet and puts every call, text, email and social networking update next to each contact. But if you need some peace, just mute a call by turning the phone over when it rings. Choose from QWERTY, predictive text or handwriting recognition for your messages and emails. The MP3 player’s got speakers built in or a 3.5mm audio jack for your own speakers or headphones. Store all your tunes and photos in the 16GB expandable memory, and share them with Bluetooth stereo. It’s also got GPS and a 2 megapixel camera to boot. Don’t forget you get 10 free music tracks from the Nokia Music Store too – there’s a voucher in the box.”
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HTC Legend and Desire shipping next week
The HTC Legend and Desire will be shipping next week with the Legend confirmed for Monday. With a fair wind the Desire will also be available on the same day and it is a tough call as to which is the one you should plump your money on. A review of the Legend will be posted early next week and hopefully one for the Desire as well. I like the idea of comparing these two because the price points are similar, but the specs and design are not.
QOTD: What bugs you?
What bugs you the most about your smartphone? No smartphone is perfect (if you say yours is we will laugh at you) so let us know what issue annoys you the most. For my iPhone it is the battery and for my BlackBerry it is the overall poor quality of third party software.
New software every single day… please
When I first started using a Psion PDA I used to religiously sign onto a BBS system everyday to see what new software had been written for it. This was so long ago that I was using Compuserve (remember them?) and the thrill of finding new software every day never left me. I have no idea why, but there was something special about finding and installing new software on a PDA which I never felt when finding new PC software.
Over the years this trend has continued with new releases for Palm OS and Windows Mobile and to a lesser extent with BlackBerry and Symbian. We now have a situation where we can log onto iTunes and every day will find a raft of new games and apps that have just been approved by Apple- the momentum is huge and the choice is almost too much to comprehend, but it satisfies sad people like me who need their fix.
I fully understand that adding lots of new software to a smartphone is the ideal way to destabilise it, but that doesn’t seem to apply to the iPhone. To be fair to Apple the locked down approach helps a lot in this area and it is difficult to imagine trying out new apps every day on a Windows Mobile or BlackBerry smartphone and not run into problems.
The iPhone has struck the balance here between reliability and quantity which none of the others have quite managed yet. Some say that apps are not important- pah!
Deal of the Day: Beyond160 for $3.48!
Beyond160 for BlackBerry is today’s deal of the day and can be nabbed for only $3.48 until tomorrow. “Tired of composing a text message and seeing “Field Full” when you still have more to say? Then go Beyond160.”
- A must-have application for users on Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, U.S. Cellular, Bell, Telus, and all other CDMA carriers with a 160 (or 140) character limit when composing a text message.
- Field full? Simply hit Menu –> Go Beyond160 and continue typing as much as you want.
- Make your message as long as you want and Beyond160 will automatically send it in multiple parts with the appropriate markers… (1/3), (2/3), (3/3).
- Sent messages will go to your normal Outbox.
- Saved drafts will go to your normal Inbox.
- Send to one recipient, multiple recipients, or even contact groups you’ve created.
- If you’re tired of re-wording your text to try and make it fit… If you’re tired of creating another message just to finish your thoughts… If you’re tired of switching to MMS and not knowing if they’ll receive it… Then get Beyond160 and experience the freedom!
- Beyond160 will also work with QuickText, if installed, so try them both for the ultimate in texting efficiency.
- Fully Operational 14 Day Trial Period
- PLEASE NOTE – Each message part is just like a normal SMS text message sent from your BlackBerry. So, if you don’t have an unlimited text messaging plan, then carrier charges may apply. For example… If you type a message that is 350 characters long, Beyond160 will send it in 3 parts, which is the same as sending 3 individual text messages.
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